Month: August 2018

#Article35A – People Speak

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Repealing Article 35A will end J&K’s relationship with rest of the country: Shah Faesal Outspoken IAS officer Shah Faesal today said repealing of Article 35A of the Constitution would end Jammu and Kashmir’s relationship with the rest of the country. Faesal, a 2010-batch IAS exam topper, is currently pursuing a mid-career masters programme in the US. “I would compare Article 35A to a marriage-deed/nikahnama. You repeal it and the relationship is over. Nothing will remain to be discussed afterwards,” he said in a tweet. He said the accession of Jammu…

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Gujjar killed, another hurt in Army firing in Ramban

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A civilian was killed and another injured when the Army allegedly opened fire on them in the wee hours of Sunday in Upper Kohli village of Gool tehsil in Ramban district. The deceased has been identified as Muhammad Rafiq Gujjar (28) and the injured as Shakeel Ahmed (30). Both were residents of the Dalwa area in Gool. The police registered an FIR against the Army in Dharamkund police station under Sections 302 and 307 of the RPC and Sections 7, 27 and 30 of the Arms Act after people of…

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Kin of slain intruder ‘Murfad Shah’ block traffic, Demand registration of FIR against CRPF man

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A day after an ‘intruder’, Murfad Shah (26), was shot dead inside former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah’s residence in the Bathindi area of Jammu, his family members staged a massive protest in the Chinore area on Sunday morning. They blocked the Janipur-Bantalab road and raised slogans against the administration. The protesters were demanding the registration of an FIR against the CRPF jawan, who opened fire at Murfad Shah on Saturday. They refused to vacate the area and perform funeral prayers for the deceased till they got any assurance from authorities.…

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Kashmir on edge – Kashmir, Chenab Valley shuts to protect Article 35A

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Separatists caged; Amarnath yatra, train service suspended Normal life came to a grinding halt in Kashmir and parts of Chenab Valley due to strike called by Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) to protest against any tinkering with Article 35-A, which grants special privileges to residents of the State. Shops, business establishments and fuel stations in Srinagar and other parts of the Valley remained closed. The public and private transport was off the roads. Even three-wheelers were off the roads across the Valley. The contingents of police and CRPF men were deployed…

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Man making forced entry into Farooq Abdullah’s house in Jammu, shot dead

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A man was gunned down by security personnel on Saturday after he forcibly entered Jammu and Kashmir former chief minister Farooq Abdullah’s house in Jammu, police said. “The intruder breached the main gate and went inside. He had a scuffle with the duty officers there. Duty officer was also injured. After that he entered the residence. Subsequently, he was shot dead,” SSP Jammu Vivek Gupta said. Prima facie it didn’t appear to be a terror attack, Gupta added. Farooq Abdullah’s son, also a former CM of the state, Omar Abdullah…

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Narendra Modi government killing independent media allege Kejriwal

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Days after two eminent journalists of a TV channel quit their jobs, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday alleged the Modi government was behind their resignation and that the Centre was killing independent media in the country. In a tweet, Kejriwal said: “Free media is life-line of democracy. But Modi government is hell-bent to kill independent media. The resignation of two eminent TV journalists from ABP News in two days is another proof. Media should rise now, otherwise it will be too late.” Within two days, ABP’s editorial head…

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Mehbooba Mufti’s plan to quit coalition was leaked: Sham Lal

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Sham Lal Sharma, senior Congress leader from Jammu, said recently that before the BJP pulled the plug on the PDP-BJP government, Mehbooba was planning to leave the coalition, but it was leaked from her office and it gave the BJP time to take the step first. He said while reacting to the reports of the BJP-PDP coming together to form the government again. “There are no chances of the BJP again aligning with the PDP to form the government in the state. The BJP has realised that they have failed…

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UN rights chief stands by report on HR abuses in Kashmir

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The United Nations human rights chief has defended the world body’s June 14 human rights report on Kashmir that accused Indian troops of having used excessive force to kill and wound civilians since 2016 and called for an international investigation. “I will still stand by it,” United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad al-Hussein said at a farewell news conference at the UN headquarters in New York on Thursday, referring to the report which India not only rejected as flawed but its media also unleashed personal attacks on…

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Citing local bodies polls, J&K Govt seeking adjournment of Article 35A hearing

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The state government on Friday said it would request the Supreme Court on Monday to adjourn the hearing on Article 35A, citing preparations for upcoming panchayat and urban local bodies (ULBs) elections as the reason. Government’s standing counsel in the apex court Shoeb Alam submitted before the court’s registry that he will be seeking adjournment of the case on Monday, when the case comes for hearing. “The undersigned will be seeking an adjournment on account of the ongoing preparations for the upcoming panchayat/municipal elections in the state of J&K. The…

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Kashmir braces for shutdown ahead of SC hearing on Article 35A, Protests held in Kashmir, Poonch, Rajouri, Kishtwar

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Kashmir is bracing for street protests and a two-day strike amid fears that Article 35A, which bars outsiders from owning property or getting jobs in the restive state, will be repealed when the Supreme Court hears a petition on Monday. Trade groups, civil society and other social organisations have come together with separatists and political parties amid fears that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is planning to revoke the provision in an attempt to change the state’s demography. Separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik under…

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